Please Stop The Bitching-

[Rattaboy]

Well said RawjaNYC. I'm just going to polish mine and drive it for for fun on occasion. Well see if it turns out to be a good investment. If it increases in value good, if if it doesn't, have't lost that much and made up for it in pleasure of ownership.

[Guest]

An excellent, well written post! I drive my '91 Reatta coupe as my everyday car. I went out last year to buy a new car, got disappointed immediately with the lack of 2 door vehicles available these days, and decided that I did not want to drive the same car that everyone on the road was driving. Said to H... with the new cars, and bought a car that looks new, is not a commonly seen car, gets fabulous gas mileage, turns heads everywhere I drive it, and as you said, every time I get in or out of it, I smile at how nice it is! <P>Mike Book BCA # 9202<BR>Reatta Club # 407<BR>BDE # 109

[Guest]

Thanks for a well-written post. These cars aren't getting any younger, so if you want a beautiful car that people still come up to ten years after they stopped making them, then the Reatta is for you. The style is timeless and beautiful, certainly on the same level as some other style groundbreakers: the 1976 Seville, the 1955 Thunderbird, the 1966 Toronado.<P>I just have to tell everyone this story. A few weeks ago we went to the car show here in Honolulu and I sat in practically every car in the place: Lincolns, Cadillacs, Lexus, Mercedes, Acuras, Chevrolets, SUVs, Audis, Porsches, etc. Among all those cars, not one of them gave me that special feeling that I only get from the Reatta. In fact, after awhile (car-show attendees will probably back me up on this), all the cars FELT THE SAME. The Reatta is a car that stands out from the cookie-cutter mind-set of interior (and exterior) designers who, I am convinced, all work out of a building somewhere in L.A. designing the interiors and exteriors of every car in the world. Sure, the Lexus and Acura felt nice, but they were the same inside with no sense of style, no pizzazz, and no artful touches. Even the $60k Lexus retractable hardtop coupe did nothing for me; it just felt like a dooded-up Celica. In a world of cars that are rapidly approaching a point where they will all come out of one big factory, the Reatta stands out, quite a feat for a ten- to thirteen-year-old car. I could be like everyone else and rush out to buy a Honda or a truck, but I want something that says "class", and to a similar degree "individuality", something that is becoming more difficult to get. To me, the cost of ownership is definitely worth it. I'm going to keep my Reatta convertible forever and wouldn't dream of selling it. I love it way too much.

[Guest]

Well first off BillT I think it stinks that You are in beautiful Hawaii and I will probably never get to see it. Boo! You dont need a sharp car with all that beauty! Anyway I agree with everyone here about the Reatta. I have owned several Vettes and some other sharp cars but I trullu like the look and feel of the Reatta. For what We pay for these cars I think We did pretty good. Yes it is getting harder and harder to find parts but for Buick these cars did not meet marketing expectations. Therefore they wanted to just stock what they had to and then forget them. We will together find alternative ways to keep them on the road and keep staring at them and realizing just what a real beauty they are.

[Guest]

RawjaNYC<BR>Your post should be etched in stone.<BR>I've owned mine for 2 years and have the same love of what my boyfriend calls a chic car.<BR>So be it that's my baby!!<BR>Tash

[Rawja]

The Reatta was and is a special automobile, and as part and parcel of the uniqueness that attracted you to your Reatta in the first place, you have no choice but to accept the following:

1. GM does not stock every part for this car. I think this is entirely understandable, given the age and the incredibly small potential audience for those parts.

2. Your Reatta was a GM flagship and technological testbed and as such is horribly (and sometimes unecessarily) complex. The Reatta utilized a great deal of untried technology for it's time, some of which wasn't completely ready for mass consumption.

3. Your car cannot possibly be newer than 10 years old. Things WILL fail, and sometimes spectacularly,-GUARRANTEED-.

4. Money spent repairing and restoring your Reatta will not be repaid upon your sale of it, no matter how long you wait for values to rise.

5. You could have bought or leased a new (or newer) car for a great deal less money.

So why did you buy a Reatta of all things? Maybe it was the styling... I mean check out the taillights or the parking lights on this thing...or the graceful arc of the wraparound rear window...the way the sideview mirrors seem to float on the side glass... its perfectly scaled proportions... Maybe it was the fact that as a 2 seater it was so impractical and therefore special...an indulgance...or its rarity...or the cool touchscreen...or whatever in particular appealed to you.

This car was created to be both impractical and expensive and it remains true to it's birthright. No one should be suprised at the costs and difficultys associated with its ownership. I bought my Reatta as a replacement for my 98 Audi A6, and belive me, my ownership experience hasn't been trouble free by any stretch of the imagination.

But to tell the truth, I didn't get up every morning and check any Audi message boards, or just get out early on a Saturday to go get the car washed and then just drive for the fun of it... You know, I cannot get out of this car and walk away from it without looking back at it... and when I do, I can't help but smile.

[Guest]

When did you first start thinking about yourReatta? Perhaps your father pointed one out when they were new, with a word or two about how lucky the owner was to own such a neat car. Or perhaps, before you knew anything at all about cars, you saw one and knew that one day you'd have your own. Do you really need a Reatta? To be honest, you don't. No more than you need a Chagall on the wall or a glass of Chateau Lafite '61 with your steak fine herbes. The Reatta frankly steps to the music of a different drummer. In a world of speed and efficiency, of mass production and proliferating plastic, this fine automobile remains an unabashed avowal that hand craftsmanship and attention to detail still have a certain value. Yes these cars do fail. Mine has do so on more than once. I don't curse it and call it junk. I simply try to get in repaired and back on the road again. Many times with the advice of all you good people out there. A car no matter how well made is subject to failure as miles pile up and age cloats it. I have worked in a number of dealerships over the years and I have seen cheap cars and expensive cars in our shop, yes even the much lauded Toyotas and Acuras. I own a 2001 Acura CL and it was in the shop just last week for a failed left rear strut. This car is less than a year old and has less than 10,000 miles. Again, I did not curse the makers or the car, I simply had it fixed and went on. Anything that has over 3000 parts of which 85% perform some sort of mechical function are subject to fail. Such are the responsibiltiy of ownership. To sum up my feelings for my little Reatta, I think the poet Keats said it best: "A thing of beauty is a joy forever: Its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness..." In the words of Forest Gump "that's all I have to say about that" Howard

[Guest]

My response to all of this is yes, I can understand your feelings about this special car. Why then, I ask, do certain members of this forum consistently talk the re-sale value of these cars down. After all when the re-sale value of these cars is talked down, the only people who are hurt are those who own them, i.e. the members of this forum.<p>[ 05-06-2001: Message edited by: kevin r ]

[ranchero]

Know what? Buick has a habit of producing cars like this. (So does Ford.) Every decade or so there is a memorable, beautiful, sometimes rare, two door, inexplicably desirable Buick car. '53/'54 Skylark. '63/'65 Riviera. '66 Riviera, almost as stunning as the '66 Toronado. Boat Tail. '80s Riviera convertible. mid '80s GN/GNX. '88/'91 Reatta. '95/'99 Riviera. Despite bread 'n butter boring LeSabres, they still are able to put it all together once a decade and come up with something that makes car people completely nuts. Is the Bengal next? The Blackhawk? Don't know. But for me there is something just terribly attractive about any less than mass market two door Buick - Reatta and all the others too.

[Guest jadesdrift90]

Have lusted over several cars in my life:<P>55 T-Bird (I was 7 when I first noticed)<BR>63 Vette (boyfriend had one..close enough)<BR>65 Mustang (girlfriend had one..close enough)<BR>78 MGB...bought it...headache<BR>81 RX 7...bought it off the boat from <BR> Japan...in love for 11 years til some big<BR> Ford truck ate it!<BR>SUV Phase...wasn't even called that when I<BR> bought one in 90. It was just a Blazer..<BR>Buick Reatta...lusted and finally got it 11<BR> years later...turning 50 has it pleasures!<BR>RX 7...81 to restore just for fun!<BR>Allante...maybe in future.<P>When you have a passion and a dream it just don't matter!<P>That's my story and I'm sticking to it <P>Jade <P>P.S. Some HIGH MAINTENANCE things are good in life...lol!<p>[ 05-06-2001: Message edited by: jadesdrift90 ]

[Guest]

Yes, people the cookie cutter cars are here.<BR>Tell me you have not gone down the road and sometimes unable to tell the difference between a Ford Escape and Grand Chereoke from<BR>the rear. How about a Volvo s70 4 door and <BR>Acura. I have two cars I will always hold on to and if it means looking in salvage yards for parts so be it. The first car is my 1980<BR>Buick Skyhawk w/ RoadHawk option. Second is my '88 red Reatta. Both the only way I will part with is if they are pryed from my cold dead hands.

[Guest wally888]

Wish I was intelligent enough to know why I own a Reatta, the 3rd, usually 2 at one time!<BR>Sold one this week and am already looking for a low mileage 89 or maybe a 91 or maybe...... an Allante-naw.

[Reatta Man]

All, <P>If you think your Reatta is beautiful NOW, wait a year or two until you see the new squared-off look they are calling Industrial or Industrial Retro. It looks like one of those "future" cars you'd se in a cheap science-fiction movie. A look at the 2002 Cadillac Evoc, Escalade or the 2002 Mercury Mountaineer will give you a little taste. Square, boxy, hard edges, with a grill that looks like an NFL linebacker's grin. <P>It looks like someone tipped a refrigerator on its side and put wheels on it. <P>For less than half the price of a new Hyndai, a used Reatta coupe in decent shape is still a steal. For the first year's depriciation on a 2002 Thunderbird, you can buy a Reatta convertible in decent shape, as long as you don't buy it from a South Florida dealer on eBay. <P>Joe BCA#35662

[Guest jadesdrift90]

The only car I even had a glimmer of hope for in the 2001 International Car Show was the Ford "Forty Nine"...very smooth...very smooth. And I ain't a ford girl normally!<P>Jade <p>[ 05-06-2001: Message edited by: jadesdrift90 ]

[ranchero]

Jade - yes, there are some attractive coupe concepts from Ford. In addition to the Forty Nine, look at the Lincoln Mark 9 (not IX). It is too long and does have some too busy areas, but it is generally stunning. The roofline and interior are especially attractive. The public unveiling was, I believe, the New York Auto Show recently. It is built on a Ford Crown Victoria pan and could be produced. Plus, Ford has been able to bring the retro Thunderbird concept to (almost) fruition. I am hoping that Buick will revive a luxury coupe by mid-decade.

[Guest rong]

jadesdrift90.....I recognize the glassy eyed reflection of the reminiscing on those past "lusts". I have also lusted after many, but have been lucky enough to have owned a few:<BR>1964 and a half Mustang - the first one!<BR>1970 428-CobraJet Mustang<BR>1972 Corvette - last of the metal bumpers front & rear<BR>1959 MGA - a ground up restoration<BR>1989 Reatta - new, sold in 1993 (nothing but regrets)<BR>1989 Reatta - bought in 1997 still loving it!<P>I wish I still had them all!

[Reatta Man]

All,<P>If you want to hear from a group of frustrated owners that make our problems sound minor, go to edmunds.com. Go to the section called 'Town Hall' and look at the postings from the poor suckers, er, I mean owners, that bought the Cadillac Catera. <P>Wow!!!!<P> I didn't know the Germans could build a car that bad, or build one that badly, depending on your perspective. <P>Transmissions, electrical, harmonic balancers, electrical, timing chains, electrical, cooling, electrical, main and timing chain bearings, electrical...well, you get the idea. <P>As many problems as my 11-year-old Reatta has had, they seem to be NOTHING compared to the one, two and three-year old Cateras that can't be depended on to make it across town!<P>At least many Reatta owners can depend on their cars to get them to the 2001 Buick Club of American convention. <P>Cheers and be thankful you didn't buy a Catera!<P>Joe

[Guest]

Looking back after you park? I thought I was the only one who did that. Aside from the CRT acting up and losing some dash lights, my car has been mainly trouble free for 103k. My Dad bought it in 91 when I was in high school and when he was finally ready to give it up, I was first in line to buy it. He looked at dozens of cars to find something to replace it and every single dealership asked the same question as he was leaving,"so, uhhhhh, what are you going to do with that Reatta?"<BR>It still turns heads 12 years later. I had mine repainted and was without it for a few weeks. I just got it back yesterday and it was sorely missed. It looks beautiful now.I also have a big block Stingray that obviously has more power, braking and handling capabilities than the Buick will ever have but the Reatta is just a really neat car. For what I would have paid for a crappy early 90's generic automobile,I have something that is truly unique and a pleasure to drive.

[Guest Greg Ross]

Ditto on "the backward glance" and I don't feel the least bit silly doing that, sheer joy from any angle.<BR>My take on the typical here is not your Love/ hate but rather your Love/ anguish relationship we have with these vehicles. <BR>I've been fortunate to have had the pleasure to own one of these Gems now for over three years, daily driver duty, do the maintenance and enjoy the Ride. I've clocked on well over 100k miles and with the progressive maintenance my '88 is working better today then it did at purchase.<BR>Quirks, Yip, a couple of them, No Worry!

[Guest]

Really enjoyed reading all the great comments. I recently returned from a 2000 mile vacation driving my 90 coupe. Both my companion and I were amazed at the comfort level of the car. Neither of us got that stiffness we do in her and my other cars. The ammount of stuff we got in the car was also impressive. also got 25+ mpg at 75mph.The LOOKS you all covered well. I always look back and most others look twice.<BR>